Jessica L.
Yelp
As former Denver residents, one of the things we've missed most living in Castle Rock are high end cocktail bars. Death & Co., Tartarian, and Union Lodge No. 1 are some of our faves. This is why we were SO excited about Provision opening in Castle Rock. We finally visited last night for our anniversary and while there were some incredible highlights, I left feeling really disappointed.
First, the good! When I walked in the door, my jaw dropped at how beautiful this place is. YES! Castle Rock has been needing a sexy, adults only bar perfect for date nights, ladies nights out, etc. I LOVED the vibe... but more on this later.
THE DRINKS! YES! I see others saying that they're expensive and they are. BUT, they are worth it and the prices are on par with any similar bar with truly artful libations. My husband and I each had 3, and The Gettin' Mezzy was by far my favorite. Smoky, sweet, and creative perfection.
We eventually ended up sitting at the bar, and this is always our favorite place to be because watching the bartenders/mixologists is always like getting a show. Upon first observation, the gentlemen crafting the cocktails looked young- did they have the chops of the people at the well known cocktail spots we love?! The answer is yes! These youngsters certainly have talent and are sure to age well, like a coveted whiskey!
Because Provision is newer, I certainly would expect some kinks in their operation. We experienced the following-
We had a 6:30 reservation. I watched the hostess seat a walk-in right before us which is absolutely fine, but then suddenly no room for us and we had to wait about 10 minutes. Eh- it happens, especially as a place and a staff is learning it's flow. When we finally were seated, we were seated next to a couple with an infant- WHAT?! Don't make me out to be a baby hater! I'm not, but the thing is, Castle Rock is kiddo central! Literally every restaurant and brewery has families with children and even the smallest and the best behaved change the vibe. Sometimes my hubs and I want an ADULT date night, especially for an anniversary. I thought this was supposed to be the place?! Ugh. As we were waiting for our drinks, wondering if we were celebrating a baby shower or our special day, my phone rang. It was the host, wondering if we were coming in for our reservation. Yes dude, you've already seated us. I took this opportunity to walk up front and kindly ask to be reseated so that we were not sharing our table with a newborn and we were- yay! We were finally settled in, happily enjoying each other and socializing with fellow patrons. We ran into a number of friends and neighbors- so fun! At this point I could have absolutely overlooked the aforementioned hiccups as growing pains and doled out a 5 star review, but...
But this is where my night came crashing down. My friend Jen recently had an ACL surgery, and I was so happy to see that she was out. As I watched her making her way back to the bar on crutches, I quoted Forest Gump and loudly teased her over the din of the bar, "run Jen, run!" Immediately a giant man in a white thermal (I think he was the manager's/owner's sig other?!) rudely admonished me, "you can't yell in here, we're not that type of bar." Excuse me, Mr. Fun Police! I also thought you weren't the kind of bar where babies got to join mom and dad, and yet that happened, so... Yes, I'm a loud and boisterous person. I'll own that in my excitement I might have been a little too loud for a brief second. However, I'm far from a disruptive patron. I've worked in the industry, If you are running a place like this, I appreciate that you're trying to maintain a particular atmosphere. If a customer seems to be getting loud, watch them for a minute before berating them. Was the small incident a one off that should be dismissed, or are they really problematic? Let me tell you, I was not the latter. I asked for our bill, which was well over $100 for 6 drinks and two teensy snacks, tipped 30% because it certainly wasn't the staff's fault that their boss is on some sort of a power trip, and moved down the street to another place where customers aren't treated like dirt.
Provision, you may be busy now and you have INCREDIBLE potential, but being downright mean to customers who are willing to drop big money on nights out at least a least a couple of times a week is not the way to success long term. You're definitely not embodying the peacefulness of the dove as you claim to. I will not be encouraging friends and neighbors to head your way, and the drinks and the bars at Dos Santos and Tribe will continue to quench my thirst and need for local adult nights out if I'm not headed to Denver.